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Sorry, I meant to elucidate on the other possibilities for the LEGO franchise, but the time I usually set aside for bloggorizing will be spent at an orthodontics appointment. Having braces as an adult is wretched. Not quite as bad as being violated by a hillbilly sheriff, but definitely something you want to get out of the way as a kid.

Diplomacy IV - Spring 1905

Play the home version by following these forum threads! The adjudicator is also running a side game of wagering for spectators.

The images below depict the latest states of the board. A larger version is available for viewing by clicking on it.

Adjudicator Steve W.'s analysis:

Austria
Rests peacefully until the next game.

England
Is watching the changing of the guard at Buckingham Palace. You know how mesmerizing that can be. Actually, England's one remaining fleet could still have a vital role to play, bordering as it does on the critical North Sea, with Russian fleets in Norway and Denmark. I wonder if the players have realized that and will begin to ply England for help.

France
Minor improvements in French posture are offset by the loss of Marseilles. Marseilles is one of those critical territories that can act as a bottleneck, keeping back larger armies with a small force. The fact that France has pretty much ignored the Mediterranean to this point is now coming back to bite Dr. Drake Ramoray in the ass. However, France is still in position to lead a defense against the Russians. The real question is: how much time will be spent fighting the Italians and Germans instead?

Germany
Germany is not yet irrelevant - control over the North Sea and Kiel is still vital at this stage. Unfortunately, Germany is under heavy pressure from both sides. Whoever eventually wins the game, the supply centers of Kiel and Edinburgh will have to feature prominently in their plans for the next few turns. German control over those centers is actually going to depend more on diplomatic action than sheer force, given the poor state of the German military.

Italy
There seems to be a large dagger sticking out of Rachel's back. Italy has played quite well up to this point, but significantly erred in keeping the border with Russia undefended. There is a balance to be struck when deciding how many units to use for offense and how many for defense, and it was completely out of whack in this case. There is essentially nothing in the way of Russia gaining Vienna, Greece, Serbia, and Smyrna. The successful taking of Munich and Marseilles will not make up for this deficiency.

Russia
Russia deftly supported Italy into Munich while stabbing elsewhere to get the troublesome Bohemian army out of the way. Five units are ready to fall on the undefended east even as seven more Russian units are ready to apply pressure to the remains of Germany to keep the bleeding going. In short, the situation does not look good for anyone but Russia.

Turkey
Has shuffled off this mortal coil and may now gobble gobble at that great farmyard in the sky.